The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-27
THE NAVAL COURT CASE.
A WARM CONTEST OVER WET COT
TON CARGOES.

TON CARGOES.
Medical Experts Testify for Both Sides
Representatives of the Crew Urge
Their Protest-Capt Reavely Tells
Why He Wants to Garry Forward
the Cargo.
The Naval Court resumed its sitting yes
terday morning, and when it was opened
Can't. Reavely announced that S. B. Adams,
Esq, and p J. OConnor, Esq, would rep
resent him in the case. The court then
read the protest of David Henderson, first
engineer, and two of the crew, against go
ing to sea in the Resolute with wet cotton
under matches.
David Henderson testified that the cotton
is wet and rotten, and he thought that if it
was loaded back it would be injurious to
the health of the crew. He accompanied the
board of survey and went down in the hold,
and when he came out
he felt like vomiting, and some
of the men were made sick when they
were cleaning out the bilges The foul air
could get into the crews quarters, which
are separated from the compartments by
wooden bulkhead, by coming through the
chain lockers. The crew, he said, sleeps
aboard the vessel now. but there is no cargo
in her, but Capt Reavely gave the crew to
understand that she would be loaded with
the wet cotton, aud they all protested.
On cross examination, he stated that the
cotton smelt badly when it was first broken,
and now some of it is growing He exam
ined at least 800 bales last Friday, and
found that some of the cargo is wet on the
inside, and some on the outside. He be-
lieved that to sail with that cargo under
matches would certainly cause sickness and,
probably, death to the crew. He had never
heard of cargo of wet cotton being shipped
except from Mr.. Putnam.
FOUL AIR IN THE TUNNEL
First officer Kellets said that he tried to
20 through the tunnel TO examine the shaft,
but the air was so foul the lamp went out
He then got safety lamp, but that would
not burn. He said the cotton is rotten and
he had seen sprouts on the bales. The odor
is very perceptible in the bilges He be-
lieved the bales were wet on the inside, at
least those which had broken open were.
John Phillips testified that he went down
in No. 2 hatch and was made quite sick by
the nauseating odor. The cotton, he said,
is covered with vegetation. 1t would take
fortnight to load and seventeen days to
get to Liverpool and he thought it would
cause sickness to remain all that time on the
vessel with the wet cotton. under matches.
The vessel has been cleaned out and there is
no smell now.
John Jeffreys, the second officer, said
that the firemen had to 60 down in the coal
bunkers on the voyage and it was impos-
sible to prevent the odors from penetrating
into the bunkers and, in fact, spreading
over the whole ship and into the crews
quarters.
James Hodson. ore of the crew testified
that there is a bad smell in the quarters
whenever the , is foul air in the bilges.
MEDICAL EXPERTS.
DR.. W. H. Elliott was called as an expert
by the crew. He said that he had examined
the cotton, and found some of it wet and
some dry. He saw the sprouting, but
thought watts had fallen on the bales and be
gun to grow. He thought it would be de-
cidedly dangerous to reship the cargo. be-
cause decomposition would increase ON the
voyage, and there would be danger of
spontaneous combustion. He would not
like to make a voyage ON the vessel if she
took the cotton. and he would not let q
member of his family go in her.
DIR. Frank T. Lincoln said that he had
treated three men who were taken sick
while working in the wet cotton. They
were suffering from nervous prostration
and nausea. He thought it would be dan
gerous to ship the cotton for gases would be
generated by fermentation and find their
way through cracks. He had examined a
lighter load of cotton taken from the Naples
and he left the lighter quickly. He did not
believe their would be any danger from
spontaneous combustion.
DIR. E. K. Corson thought the wet cotton
would not be a fit cargo for shipment
There are great many seeds, oats, leaves
and foreign substances in the bales which
terminate from heat. He put his body
thermometer into one of the bales and the
mercury went from so to 90' The reship-
lnent of such a cargo would endanger the
health of the crew, though the voyage might
be made without sickness breaking out but
the risk would be great. Whether there
were any drops of oil in the cotton or not
there would be danger of spontaneous CON-
buStion for heat is constantly generated
from tightly pressed wet cotton The great
danger, he thought, was from the vegetable
matter contained in the bales. The fibres
would not decompose quickly. DR.. Groath
had examined the wet cotton and found bad
odors emanating therefrom.
NOT AN UNHEALTHY CARGO.
The compliments then announced that
their expert testimony was all in, and the
defendants introduced theirs. DIR. William
Duncan testified that about a week ago he
examined the wet cotton and found a very
perceptible bad odor. He did not believe.
however, that there would be any danger in
Transporting the cotton, for although bad
odors might cause nausea, there would be
no disease, for there was no poison. Guano
produces bad smell, but is not an I'M
healthy cargo He had heard of wet bag
ging being transported without sickness.
Judging from recent experiments, of which
he had read, he thought spontaneous COM
bustion was impossible.
Col. Garrard read from a work on storage
that there is enough oil In one cotton seed
to fire whole cargo DIR. Duncan said he
was not prepared to say that spontaneous
combustion in a cargo of wet cotton is i'm
possible, but it appeared so from expert
ments recently made in Germany. He
added that he would not be afraid to make
the passage in the vessel with the cargo
under matches.
DIR. j. b. Read had examined the bales at
the same time that DIR. Duncan did He
passed his hand into the bales and found
the heat had increased. The bales were
wet, oats were growing on them, and the
bad odor was perceptible He did not be-
lieve, however, that there would be any
danger to the crew in transporting the wet
cotton. When the wet cotton is tightly
compressed in vessel, decomposition would
20 on slowly, and the air would not grow
foul. DR.. L. A. Falligant thought he would
not like to go to Europe in vessel with a
cargo of wet cotton unless it was absolutely
necessary.
Mr. Frederick II Phillins a cotton mar